The present study describes the synthesis and characterization of an amphiphilic construct which is aimed to recruit SH-containing molecules to membranes. The construct consists of (i) an aliphatic chain to enable the anchoring within membranes, (ii) a maleimide moiety to react with the sulfhydryl group of a soluble (bio)molecule, and (iii) a fluorescence moiety to follow the construct by fluorescence spectroscopy and microscopy. It is shown, that the construct can be incorporated into preformed membranes allowing the application of the approach with biological membranes...

Hybrid protein-polysaccharide particles were formed by complexation of fractal whey protein aggregates and the cationic polysaccharide chitosan. The fractal aggregates were preformed by heating native whey protein isolate at pH 7 and subsequently mixed with chitosan at pH 3 where these proteins and polysaccharides don't interact with each other. Stable dispersions of protein-polysaccharide particles were formed spontaneously when the pH was gradually increased between 4.1 and 6.8, whereas in the absence of chitosan the fractal aggregates precipitated between pH 4...

BACKGROUND: Prostatic enlargement was first correctly recognized as a prostatic hyperplasia by professor of anatomic pathology, Stanisław Ciechanowski (1869-1945) in Cracow on contrary to Parisian urologist Jean Casimir Félix Guyon's concepts of progressing atherosclerosis as a morphological cause of prostatic overgrowth and mechanical insufficiency of lower urinary tract. METHODS: Primary resources were analyzed about Stanisław Ciechanowski mainly from depositories of the Section of Special Collection, Stanisław Konopka Main Medical Library Warsaw and Polish bibliograhy of Estreichers at Jagiellonian University...

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been associated with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but the underlying molecular mechanisms of their specific association with hepatocarcinogenesis have not been fully explored. Methods: miR503HG was identified by microarray and validated by real-time PCR. Survival analysis was evaluated using the Kaplan-Meier method and assessed using the log-rank test. In vitro and in vivo assays were preformed to explore the biological effects of miR503HG in HCC cells. The interaction of miR503HG with HNRNPA2B1 was identified by RNA pull-down and RNA immunoprecipitation...

AIMS: To determine the role of inferior meatus pathologies as an underdiagnosed cause of epiphora. METHODS: This study was conducted in the oculoplastic institution of Tel Aviv medical center-a regional referral center. A retrospective review of files of patients presenting to the lacrimal clinic with nasolacrimal duct obstruction between October 2010 and September 2016. Cases in which a pathology of the inferior meatus was identified and treated are presented in this article...

Despite converging epidemiological evidence for the inverse relationship of regular caffeine consumption and risk of developing Parkinson's disease (PD) with animal studies demonstrating protective effect of caffeine in various neurotoxin models of PD, whether caffeine can protect against mutant α-synuclein (α-Syn) A53T-induced neurotoxicity in intact animals has not been examined. Here, we determined the effect of chronic caffeine treatment using the α-Syn fibril model of PD by intra-striatal injection of preformed A53T α-Syn fibrils...

Background: Prior mortality prediction models have incorporated severity of anatomic injury quantified by Abbreviated Injury Severity Score (AIS). Using a prospective cohort, a new score independent of AIS was developed using clinical and laboratory markers present on emergency department presentation to predict 28-day mortality. Methods: All patients (n=1427) enrolled in an ongoing prospective cohort study were included. Demographic, laboratory, and clinical data were recorded on admission...

Parkinson's disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disease. In the vast majority of cases the origin is not genetic and the cause is not well understood, although progressive accumulation of α-synuclein aggregates appears central to the pathogenesis. Currently, treatments that slow disease progression are lacking and there are no robust biomarkers that can facilitate development of such treatments, or act as aids in early diagnosis. Therefore, we have defined metabolomic changes in the brain and serum in an animal model of prodromal Parkinson's disease...

PURPOSE: In mechanical thrombectomy (MT) for ischemic stroke, endothelial cells (ECs) from intracranial blood vessels adhere to the stent retriever device and can be harvested. However, understanding the molecular biology and the role of the endothelium in different pathological conditions remains insufficient. The purpose of the study was to characterize and analyze the molecular aspect of harvested ECs using cell culture and transcriptomic techniques in an MT swine model relevant to clinical ischemic stroke...

Background: Candida albicans is a major opportunistic fungal pathogen. One of the most important virulence factors that contribute to the pathogenesis of candidiasis is its ability to form biofilms. A key characteristic of Candida biofilms is their resistance to antifungal agents. Due to significant morbidity and mortality rates related to biofilm-associated drug resistance, there is an urgency to develop novel nanotechnology-based approaches preventing biofilm-related infections. Methods: In this study, we report, for the first time, the synthesis of selenium nanoparticles by irradiating selenium pellets by nanosecond pulsed laser ablation in liquid chitosan as a capping agent...

A set of missense mutations in the gene encoding profilin-1 has been linked to the onset of familiar forms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (fALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease). The pathogenic potential of these mutations is linked to the formation of intracellular inclusions of the mutant proteins and correlates with the mutation-induced destabilization of its native, fully folded state. However, the mechanism by which these mutations promote misfolding and self-assembly is yet unclear. Here, using temperature-jump and stopped-flow kinetic measurements, we show that, during refolding, wild-type profilin-1 transiently populates a partially folded (PF) state endowed with hydrophobic clusters exposed to the solvent and with no detectable secondary structure...

BACKGROUND: Antibody-mediated rejection (ABMR) remains associated with reduced kidney graft survival and no clear prognostic marker is available. METHODS: We investigated whether donor-specific antibodies (DSA) ability to bind C1q in comparison with ABMR C4d status, both indirect signs of complement activation, improve risk stratification at time of ABMR. Hence, among 467 patients in whom ≥1 graft biopsy was performed between 2008 and 2015, we included 56 with ABMR according to Banff'15 criteria...

This manuscript provides step by step description of the manufacturing process of a test section designed to measure the local instantaneous heat transfer coefficient as a function of the liquid flow rate in a transparent pipe. With certain amendments, the approach is extended to gas-liquid flows, with a particular emphasis on the effect of a single elongated (Taylor) air bubble on heat transfer enhancement. A non-invasive thermography technique is applied to measure the instantaneous temperature of a thin metal foil heated electrically...

a Purpose of review: This review summarizes recent data about antibodies after cardiac transplantation; what testing modalities are available and how frequently to employ them; as well as when treatment is necessary. b Recent findings: Technologies available for antibody detection have progressed over the past couple decades. New and preformed antibodies are associated with worse outcomes in transplant recipients. c Summary: The frequency of screening for post-transplant antibodies and for antibody-mediated rejection (AMR) should be based on risk stratification...

BACKGROUND: Intraneuronal α-synuclein (α-Syn) aggregates known as Lewy bodies (LBs) and the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc) are the pathological hallmarks of Parkinson's disease (PD). Braak's hypothesis based on autopsy studies suggests that Lewy pathology initially occurs in the enteric nervous system (ENS) and then travels retrogradely to the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus nerve (dmX), proceeding from there in a caudo-rostral direction...

In this work, the potential of preformed thermoplastic matrix composite tapes for the manufacturing of composite pipes by filament winding assisted by in situ ultrasonic welding was evaluated. Unidirectional tapes of E-glass-reinforcedamorphous poly (ethylene terephthalate) were laid up and consolidated in a filament winding machine that was modified with a set-up enabling ultrasonic welding. The obtained composite specimens were characterized by means of morphological and dynamic mechanical analysis as well as void content evaluation, in order to correlate welding parameters to composite properties...

Incubation conditions are an important factor to consider when studying protein aggregation in vitro. Here, we employed biophysical methods and atomic force microscopy to show that agitation dramatically alters the morphology of medin, an amyloid protein deposited in the aorta. Agitation reduces the lag time for fibrillation by ~18-fold, suggesting that the rate of fibril formation plays a key role in directing the protein packing arrangement within fibrils. Utilising preformed sonicated fibrils as seeds, we probed the role of seeding on medin fibrillation and revealed three distinct fibril morphologies, with biophysical modelling explaining the salient features of experimental observations...

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to investigate the prognostic relevance of CEP55 in lung cancer (LC). MATERIAL AND METHODS LC microarray profile GSE30219 was obtained from the GEO database. The 2-sample t test was performed to clarify the difference in CEP55 expression between LC and normal lung tissue. The chi-square test and logistic regression analysis were preformed to investigate the relationship between CEP55 expression and the clinical features of LC patients. Log-rank test and Cox proportional hazards regression analysis were conducted to evaluate the disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) of LC patients...

BACKGROUND: Esophageal Atresia (EA) is defined as the congenital interruption of the continuity of the esophagus. Pediatric patients also have other congenital conditions, such as Tracheo-Esophageal Fistula (TEF). CASE REPORT: A 7-year-old male with TEF referred by a Pediatric Cardiologist, with the principal complaint of "severe and generalized tooth wearing". Considering that the patient was systemically stable, it was decided to perform the oral procedures under local anesthesia and rubber-dam isolation with an antimicrobial prophylaxis regimen...